A LIFE WITHOUT CHRIST

A Life Without Christ.

Shattered Dreams.

Romans 1:18-32; Eccl.1:1-2.

God’s purpose for creating man is clearly spelt out in the book of Genesis (Gen.1:26-29). From this passage, man is made in the image and likeness of God. Man is to have dominion, under God, over the rest of God’s creation. Man was to be fruitful, multiply and populate the earth. All things that pertain to life and godliness were given to man. From whence then do we have wars, crime, racism, discrimination, poverty, deprivation, depravity, hopelessness and helplessness?

It is because man forgot about God, nay, man rejected God that made him, and installed himself as God. Man chose costly human alternatives, and the devastating consequences are plain to see. They chose sin instead of righteousness. They chose hate instead of love. The result is shattered dreams. Their dream of peace is shattered. Their dream of hope is shattered. Their dream of love is shattered. Their dream of heath is shattered. Their dream of freedom is shattered.

It is my heart desire to point out to you the root of the evil that is rampant in the United Kingdom and other parts of the developed world today.

To correct this and to eliminate the glaring consequences, there is an urgent need for the UK and the rest of the world to return to God!

1.   REBELLION AGAINST GOD AND COSTLY HUMAN ALTERNATIVES    (Psalm.14:1-3; Rom.1:18-32; Eccl.2:11)

How does a world without God look? What happens in a world without God? Today’s atheists like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens (late), Sam Harris and Daniel Dennet, are hailed as heroes of society because they deny the existence of God. They preach vehemently that there is no God! Yet they appear to close their eyes and block their ears to the grave consequences of their theories to the society.

A.  If there is no God.

Life will have (i) no meaning, (ii) no value and (iii) no purpose. There is no point being alive or doing anything at all. Theologian Paul Tillich called this the threat of non-being. He said, “for though I know now that I exist, I am alive, I also know that someday I will no longer exist, that I will no longer be. This thought is so staggering and threatening, to think that the person I call myself will cease to exist, that I will be no more”. If there is no God there is no hope. Human beings are no more significant than a swarm of mosquitoes.

B.   If there is no God:

There is (i) no immortality. Life will simply end in [i]death. There is (ii) no heaven, (iii) no hell, (iv) no eternal judgment. If there is no immortality then Jesus told us a lie (John 14:1-3; Luke 16:19-28). If there is no God then the whole Bible is a lie!

C.  If there is no God:

If there is no God there is no immortality. If there is no immortality then all things are permitted. Because death is final and there is nothing beyond it, then it really does not matter how you live. You can live as you please, out of pure self-interest.

If there is no God, there is no objective standard of right and wrong. Moral values will become expressions of personal taste, or by-product of biological evolution and social conditioning.

If there is no God you might as well reverse The Ten Commandments! It means you cannot condemn war, rape, crime, evil or oppression. It means that the Rwandan genocide cannot be condemned. It means that Hitler’s murdering of six million Jews cannot be condemned. It means anyone of us who has the ability can repeat those crimes. You can steal, you can kill, you can lie, you can commit adultery, and you can fornicate if you choose. You can turn gay if it pleases you. You can rape adults or even children and you will not be accused of being a rapist or a pedophile! You cannot praise love as good. You cannot praise self-sacrifice. Soldiers are wasting their lives trying to defend their nation.

If there is no God the universe is pointless, life is pointless. All scientific effort is a waste of time. Pleasure is futile, Wealth is futile, Education is futile, Medical research is futile, Political Fame is futile, Honour is futile because life is doomed to end in death (James 4:14; Eccl.1:1-2)!

Frederick Nietzsche, German philosopher, long ago realized the implications of atheism when he wrote, “God is dead…And we have killed him. How shall we, the murderers of all murderers comfort ourselves”?

Because people have said in their hearts that there is no God, is there any wonder that there is so much suicide? So much murder? So much rape? So much war? No comfort. No peace. No hope. Can ISIS be said to be wrong in beheading people?

Romans 1:18-32 captures some of the things that can happen when men live as if there is no God. They changed the truth of god to a lie. They seek to reverse the commandments of god and by their own laws. Godless man is given up to a reprobate mind, to his own devices, and the consequences are grim. But they are without excuse.

I saw a grim short video of two men from Orissa state in India accused of raping a six year old girl. A crowd gathered round them and a man began to hit one of them with a wooden plank, breaking every bone. He continued to hit him till he died. For those people life has no meaning, no purpose and no value.

2.   GOD’S PERFECT PLAN FOR MAN (Gen.1:26-28; Jer.1:5; 29:11; Psalm 37:23; Eccl.3:1; John 3:16)

God loves man, the crown of His creation (John 3:16). God is mindful of man (Psalm 8:3-9). God has made great provisions for the sustenance and the success of man on earth. He created us male and female so that we can increase and multiply! He saw our rebellion and made plans to redeem us.

(I) God’s Love For Mankind (Mat.5:45; John 3:16; Luke 15:4-7; 1Cor.15:1-3)

He sent Jesus Christ His Son to die in our place! Those who believe in him and are saved become known as Christians. Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. Everywhere in Europe people are preparing to celebrate Christmas. That is the time of Christ’s birth, though people have turned it into a time of debauchery. The birth of Jesus Christ was the greatest good news the world would ever receive. And that good news would never be surpassed. His death on the Cross was the prerequisite for the salvation of mankind. He rose from the dead for the justification of all who believe (1Cor.15:1-3).

Salvation is now full and free. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Rom.10:9-15). Missionaries went all over the world preaching the gospel, braving the consequences. Multiplied Millions were saved.

(II)  The Success Of Bible Christianity

(1) World Population

Biblical Christianity has been the most successful and most influential of all religions for all time. World fact Book in 2013 gave the population of Christians as 33.39%, this is roughly 2.3 billion people. Not all these are saved, but they regard themselves as Christians. Though other religions may have large following, none of them will ever have the scale and the kind of all-time transforming power exerted by biblical Christian faith worldwide. This is because Biblical Christianity teaches us that (i) there is God, and (ii) life does not end at death, (iii) there is immortality. This means therefore that life has meaning, value and purpose. There is hope for the future.

(2) Law and Society

Christian writings heavily influenced civic society. Christianity brought liberty and justice, equality of the sexes. The Bible teaches that all men are loved by God and are answerable to him, regardless of gender, race or station (Ezek.18:4).

The Magna Carta is regarded as the most famous document in the world. It was written by King John of England in 1215 to solve a political crisis.  It starts with, “John, by the grace of God King of England…. This charter states that no man including the king, is above the Law. Justice is served to all. This originated from the bible (Deut.19:1-6).

Kings ruled by applying these great laws. The word of God was the foundation of the laws of nations. Natural law is defined as a body of unchanging moral principles regarded as a basis for all human conduct. This law is written in the heart of every living soul and is superbly articulated in the Ten Commandments (Exod.20:1-5, 7-8, 12-17).

(3) Morality and Relationships (Exod. 20:1-5, 7-8, 12-17; Jer.31:33; Mat.5:1-8).

 The Bible gave us the greatest moral law on earth, written in the hearts of men before being codified. Jesus interpreted it in the Sermon on the Mount and compressed it into two laws of love (Mat.22:36-40). This is the only law that can bring sanity into a world of wickedness.

(4) Education

It is almost impossible to overestimate the influence of biblical Christianity on education. All the world’s most famous universities have been established by Christians for the purpose of teaching and imparting the knowledge of the word of God to the people.

In America institutions established by Christians include Harvard University (1636), William and Mary University (1693), Yale University (1701), Princeton University (which was headed at a time by Jonathan Edwards, America’s foremost Christian Theologian and revivalist)(1746), Kings College (1754), Brown University (1764), Rutgers University (1766), Dartmouth University (1769).

In the United Kingdom we have Oxford University, Cambridge University, St Andrews University, Glasgow University, University of Edinburgh and Aberdeen University etc. Out of these institutions of higher learning established by Christians came much of the development and advancement that has made Western world a developed haven.

The Nobel Prize is an annual international achievement prize for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace established in 1901. During the first 100 years of its establishment, Christians have won a total of 78.3% of all the Nobel Prizes in Peace, 72.5% in Chemistry, 65.3% in Physics, 62% in Medicine 54% in Economics and 49.5% of all Literature awards. Bible Christianity is at the fore front of western education.

Many people like to come to Europe to enjoy the fruit of freedom, peace, development, good roads, communication, and medical care. Europeans also pride themselves of these great achievements while at the same time denying God, the source of these blessings.

(5) Changed Lives (Rom.1:16; 2Cor 5:17)

Nothing can march the power of biblical Christianity to change the lives of people. On the day of Pentecost, 3000 people were converted to the Church, then 5ooo and the multitudes. The most famous person of Bible time changed by the word of God was Saul of Tarsus, who became Paul the Apostle, on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-16). In Britain some well-known converts include Nicky Gumbel of the Alpha Course, Peter Hitchens, the brother of late atheist Christopher Hitchens, C. S. Lewis the famous British apologist and author of the chronicles of Narnia, Alister Mcgrath, Biochemist and Christian theologian, john Warwick Montgomery, renown Christian apologist. There is no point counting else we will be attempting to count converts. They are simply too many to count.

But the most important question is this, Are you changed by the Gospel? I know you believe in God that is one reason you are here this morning. Believing in God is not enough (James 2:19). You must believe to the point of saving your soul. You must be born again (John3:1-3). When you are saved, then you can help others find the Lord.

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[i] On Guard, Defending your faith with reason and Precision

William Lane Craig; publishers David C. Cook.

 

 

THY WORD HAVE I HID IN MY HEART

 

Thy Word is a lamp to my feet,
A light to my path alway,
To guide and to save me from sin,
And show me the heav’nly way.

 

Thy Word have I hid in my heart,
That I might not sin against Thee;
That I might not sin, that I might not sin,
Thy Word have I hid in my heart.

 

Forever, O Lord, is Thy Word
Established and fixed on high;
Thy faithfulness unto all men
Abideth forever nigh.

 

 

At morning, at noon, and at night
I ever will give Thee praise;
For Thou art my portion, O Lord,
And shall be through all my days!

 

 

Thro’ Him whom Thy Word hath foretold,
The Savior and Morning Star,
Salvation and peace have been brought
To those who have strayed afar.

Refrain

 

 

THE BIRTH OF CHRIST, THE PERSECUTION OF ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH

The Birth Of Christ, The Persecution Of Israel And The Church

Revelation 12:1-13:1; Isa.7:14; 9:6-7; Mat.2:1-2, 8, 16; Eph.6:1-18

 In the book of Revelation chapters 12 and 13 we see seven personages described in dramatic forms, who feature in the last days:

(1) a woman clothed with the sun, representing Israel (Rev.12:1–2); (2) the red dragon with seven heads and 10 horns, representing Satan (Rev.12:3–4); (3) the male Child, representing Christ (Rev.12:5–6); (4) the archangel Michael, casting Satan out of heaven (Rev.12:7–12); (5) the offspring of the woman, persecuted by the dragon (Rev.12:13–17); (6) the beast out of the sea, the future world dictator (Rev.13:2–10); (7) the beast out of the earth, the false prophet (Rev.13:11–18).^[1]

The red dragon, the beast out of the sea and the beast out of the earth have been dubbed THE TERRIBLE TRIO. These three are, in a sense, an evil trinity, opposing the true God and His people on earth.^[2] But their world empire will suddenly collapse. We will talk about them later.

A Woman Clothed With The Sun (Rev.12:1-2)

From the description in this chapter, from other parts of the Bible, and from historical events, we can conclude that this woman represents the Nation of Israel. When Joseph had a dream of the “sun and moon and eleven stars” (Gen.37:9-10) bowing down to him, his father immediately interpreted it as himself, his wife and Joseph’s eleven brothers.

In this revelation, the sun represents Jacob, the moon his wife and the twelve stars his twelve children. Jacob was renamed Israel by the divine person who wrestled with him all night in (Gen.32:27-28).  Some people try to say this woman is the Church, but that cannot be proved from scripture and history.

This woman is giving birth to a child but the red dragon was waiting to snatch and devour the child (Mat.2:1-2, 8, 16). That child is Jesus Christ the Messiah. It is not possible for the child Jesus to perish. He is the Ruler. When the child could not be destroyed, the dragon went after Israel and all those who believe in the Jesus Christ.

Jews constitute only 0.2% of world population. But they have won 193 (22%) of Nobel Prize awards since it began in 1901. This year, 6 out of 12 Nobel laureates are Jews. Richard Dockings says he is perplexed by the high proportion of winners who are Jewish. The world would be very impoverished without Jewish inventions in Mathematics, in Science – Robotics, Chemistry, Physics, Optics, Medicine, Economics, Biotechnology and Theoretical computer Science; in Defense, in Computing, in Agriculture, in Energy, in Consumer Appliances and Goods, to name a few. Yes the woman, Israel, is truly cloth with the sun, the moon and twelve stars!  It is blessing the world. Ironically the world, while enjoying all the blessings that are provided through Israel, are still content to continue to work against them. They will not be destroyed. God said they would never cease to be a nation (Jer.31:35-38).

Have you noted the unceasing wave of anti-Semitism throughout history? Have you asked why a little nation is opposed by almost every nation in the world? Hitler slaughtered 6 million Jews during Second World War. In 1967 the fought the Six-Day War against the nations of Egypt, Syria and Jordan. The dragon is angry with them! He is making war at all fronts against them.

But they are the chosen people of God. They are the covenant descendants of Abraham. The blessing of Abraham is upon them, for through Abraham’s covenant seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed. But the full blessing is that which came from our Lord Jesus Christ.

 The Red Dragon (Rev.12:3-4)

This dragon is easily identified as the devil, the arch enemy of the people of God people both Israel and Christians.

There was always a “dragon” standing by, waiting to destroy Israel or the ancestors of the Messiah. Pharaoh is called a “dragon” (Ezek. 29:3), and so is Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 51:34). At one critical point, the royal line was limited to one little boy (2 Kings 11:1–3). When Jesus Christ was born, Satan used King Herod to try to destroy Him (Matt. 2). Satan thought that he had succeeded when he used Judas to betray the Lord and hand Him over to be crucified. But the Cross was actually Satan’s defeat! “And they overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 12:11).^[3]

We are warned to be sober and vigilant because the dragon is our adversary the devil (1Peter 5:8-9). The Church is now suffering persecution instigated by Satan. We must resist him steadfastly. God will surely give us victory. His time is short the Bible tells us.

 The Male Child Of The Woman (Rev.12:5-6)

We can see from the context here that this male child represents Jesus Christ. He will rule the nations with an iron scepter (Psalm 2:7-12; Rev.19:15). The child being snatched up to the Throne of God is not the rapture but may refer to the ascension of Jesus into Heaven (Acts 1:8-9). The Rapture of the Church is not deliverance from Satan but glory and reward to faithful disciples of Jesus.

A few important points need to be made about the birth of Jesus Christ. By Jesus we mean Jesus Christ the Messiah. I want to strengthen your faith in Him.

(1)        He pre-existed before His birth. How do we know? The Scriptures say so and Scriptures cannot be broken (John 1:1, 18; 8:56-59)

(2)        He is the Son of Man (Dan.7:13-14; John 5:19-29, 39)

(3)        He is God(John 1:1; Mal.3:1-3; John 5:26)

(4)        His birth was prophesied (Isa.9:6-7). Jesus had to fulfill more than 30 prophecies in one day to be the Messiah.

He is the angel of the Lord that appeared to Abraham and stopped him from sacrificing Isaac.

What was the name of Jesus before He was incarnate? Wonderful; Incomprehensible (Isa.9:6-7)!

How is it possible that this great God who is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent, could localize His infinite presence that fills the universe? In fact, the heaven of heavens cannot even contain Him. It is all within Him; He fills it all with His presence. Now how can He localize Himself in a human body enough to say that all the fullness of God dwelt in His physical body as (Colossians 2:9) states? It is incomprehensible! 

He came to be our only Way of salvation (Acts 4:12)

Jesus has Power over all creation; He has Power to create things; He Providentially controls all things; He was Present in Old Testament times.  The world was made by Him (John 1:1-3, 10-11, 14). In verse 1 He was God. In verse 14 He became flesh. He is the revelation of the invisible God (John 1:18).

Why did Philip make such an audacious request like “show us the Father… (John 14:6-9)? I guess He was shocked by the answer He got! (Col.1:15-19) is an incredibly heavily packed theology of Jesus as God!

Abraham rejoiced to see His day – proving that Abraham was not a mythological figure. Moses wrote of Him – showing that the books of Moses were not written hundreds of years later as some liberal scholars claim. David called Him Lord – proving that the psalms (110) were not written in the later years of the Maccabees. What other witness do you need? (Luke 24:44-46; Rev.1:17-18).

The world is making the same mistake that the Jews of old made. They are searching everywhere for life and would not come to Christ for life.

The Offspring Of The Woman (Rev.12:13-17)

The offspring of the woman are those people who believed the message of salvation brought by Jesus Christ, who are washed by His blood. You yourselves know that Satan has been very busy fighting not only Israel but also Christians, the product of God’s work of redemption. The Church has not replaced Israel (Rom.11:1, 11-24). All though Israel is surrounded now by implacable enemies, God will deliver them. He will make a way again for them whether through the flood or through the fire (Isa.43:1-2).

Satan is truly persecuting the offspring of the woman. The Church is the most persecuted religious body in the world. It is as Jesus warned us (John 15:18-25; 16:33). Yes be of good cheer! The gates of hell shall not prevail (Mat.16:18; 5:11; 10:39; Mark 13:13).

The persecution of the Church is well attested to in the Bible and by tradition. Read Fox’s Book of Martyrs. (i) Stephen was the first martyr of the Church, he was stoned by the Jews; (ii) James the brother of John was killed by Herod Agrippa in 44 AD, (iii) Philip was crucified in AD 54, (iv) Matthew was martyred in 60 AD, (iv) Matthias who replaced Judas was scourged in Jerusalem and then beheaded. (v) Andrew, Peter’s brother was crucified on a cross both ends of which were transversely fixed to the ground, (vi) Mark was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria during the feast of one of their idols. (vii) Peter was crucified upside down. (viii) Paul was beheaded. (ix) Jude was crucified AD 72. (x) Bartholomew who preached in India was crucified by the idol worshippers of that land. (xi) Thomas preached in Parthia and India. He was thrust through with a spear. (xii) Luke was hanged on an olive tree in Greece. (xiii) Simon preach in Mauritania, Africa and Britain. He was crucified AD 74. (xiv) Barnabas was martyred in AD 73. Since then the number of martyrs has been growing exponentially.

Some people want to make themselves martyrs through violence against others. Some parents send their children to become martyrs by committing suicide in the bid to kill others. But the martyrs of our Lord Jesus Christ become martyrs as they try to rescue the perishing. Some people who claim to be Christians join other faiths go through ignorance of the Christian faith. Those who become Christians from other faiths come through enlightenment by the Gospel.

Despite all the evil and atrocities perpetrated on the Church, and against Christians, and despite all those who have been martyred, the Church continues to grow like fire! Some of the most effective apologists of the Church in the USA today are former Muslims who have come to faith in Jesus Christ. The Church marches on in spite of persecution. Paul captured this really well in (Rom.8:31-39). No. Persecution cannot stop the growth of the Church. The Church will triumph at last. The Stone cut without hands is going to fill the whole earth. Indeed we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.

We have a great cloud of witnesses urging us to hold the forth. Stand up stand up for Jesus.

 

 

 

CHRIST JESUS HATH THE POWER

Christ Jesus hath the pow’r,
The power to forgive,
The pow’r to quicken whom He will,
And make the sinner live.
Christ Jesus hath the pow’r,
O tell it far and near!
O bring to Him your guilty heart,
And grace shall banish fear!

Christ Jesus hath the pow’r,
The pow’r of God He wields!
Christ Jesus hath the pow’r,
My heart surrender yields!
Christ Jesus hath the pow’r,
I trust Him evermore!
Christ Jesus hath the pow’r,
I worship and adore!

Christ Jesus hath the pow’r,
The power to renew,
The pow’r to cleanse your heart from sin,
And make you wholly true.
Christ Jesus hath the pow’r
For evermore to keep;
O none can pluck you from His hand,
Or rob Him of His sheep!

Christ Jesus hath the pow’r,
The power to console,
The pow’r to carry all your care—
On Him your burdens roll.
Christ Jesus hath the pow’r,
To wipe the tear away;
O place in Him your confidence!
O trust Him, and obey!

Christ Jesus hath the pow’r,
The power to destroy,
The pow’r to bruise your enemy
Who would your soul annoy.
Christ Jesus hath the pow’r,
When on your dying bed,
To give your soul the victory,
The pow’r to raise the dead!

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^[1] Walvoord, J. F. (1985). Revelation. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 957). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

^[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 601). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

^[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 602). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

FROM DANIEL’S SEVENTY WEEKS TO MESSIAH THE PRINCE

FROM DANIEL’S SEVENTY WEEKS TO MESSIAH THE PRINCE

Daniel 8:1-14; 9:24-27; 11:3-4; Isa.9:6-7; Luke 2:1-14

All history is “Godstory”. All history is indeed “Christory”. God unfolds history as the centuries roll by. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. He created man in his own image. The pollution of this image started in the Garden of Eden, when the serpent bust into the seen and deceived Eve. But God promised deliverance. Latter God chose Abraham to form a great nation and promised to bless the whole humanity through his offspring. Abraham’s grandson, Jacob had twelve sons. Jacob and his sons went to Egypt to escape famine in Canaan. There the great nation of Israel was formed. 450 years later, God called them out with a strong hand and sent them to the Promised Land. In the Promised Land they grew and multiplied. Great Kings like David and Solomon ruled over them. They built a magnificent Temple for the worship of God.  But soon they sinned against God and the Covenant and He allowed king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to defeat them and carry them into captivity. They were to spend seventy years in Babylon. After that, God would bring them back and unfold the rest of history.

Today we are going to meet them in Babylon, with Daniel crying to God, reminding Him it was time to release them from captivity. Then God unfolds to him the rest of human history.

Today we travel from Daniel’s Seventy Weeks (or Seventy Heptads) to Messiah the Prince. That is a time span of about 490 years (Jewish years are 360 days long, with some compensation here and there). All this while, political forces were at work in Palestine (like the four winds striving upon the sea) to control the Jewish state. Jerusalem was rebuilt and a state of Israel was established but remained under foreign control. This was the condition into which Jesus Christ was born.

Daniel’s Impassioned Plea For Deliverance From Captivity

Dan.9:1-23; Jer.25:9-12; 2Kings 17:9-20; Prov.29:1; 2Pet.2:1-9; Ezra 1:1-4

Before Israel settled in the Promised Land God warned them not to meddle with the idols and abominations of the surrounding nations. Israel was a Covenant Nation, just as Christians today are a people of Covenant. We are God’s covenant people. If the Church leaves the part of truth and begin to walk in error, if God did not spare Israel, then the Church should not expect to be spared (2Pet.2:1-9).

Daniel pleaded with God to consider allowing them to go back to their home land. He fasted and prayed. What a passionate plea.

(1)            He acknowledged God’s greatness and mercy.

(2)            He confessed his sins to God. “We have sinned. We have committed iniquity. We have done wickedly. We have rebelled. We have departed from your precepts and judgements. We have not harkened to your prophets.

(3)            He pleaded God’s righteousness as opposed to their shameful failure.

(4)            He pleaded the forgiveness of God.

(5)            He acknowledged that God was justified to punish them.

(6)            He pleaded with God to bow down and look at their desolation.

(7)            He urged the Lord to turn away His anger from Jerusalem.

Much of our prayers today are too self-centred – how I may succeed; how may get married and have children; how may get a job and get money. These are all legitimate needs but the four areas of priority in prayer are (i) God, (ii) His Holy Name, (iii) His Kingdom and (iv) His Holy Will. These are priorities prescribed by our Saviour Jesus Christ. We must pray that God’s Name be honoured and His Kingdom to increase and His will to be done in a world that is increasingly out of sync with God. Daniels prayer was answered. God unfolded the remaining history of the world as it affected Israel.

The Decrees of Kings Cyrus and Artaxerxes (445 Bc) (Dan. 9:25; Ezra 1:1-4; Neh.2:1-8).

King Cyrus permitted the Jews to return and rebuild the Temple of God in Jerusalem. But the 490 year prophetic clock would start ticking when the decree to rebuild Jerusalem was given in 445 BC by King Artaxerxes of Persia, brother of Cyrus. Bible scholars have use the Jewish calendar (360 day-year) to calculate this. The first “seven weeks” is 49 years (seven sevens”). The next 62 “sevens” are 434 years. The final one week is 7 years. The total is 490 years. The first 49 years was the time it took to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. Then we have what is known as the 400 silent years. These are called “400 silent years” not because there were no political or religious activities, but because from the time the city was rebuilt, there were no more prophecies, and no word from the Lord. But the four winds of heaven were still striving upon the sea. It was as if Daniel’s prophecy was God’s final prophecy to mankind. Then after 483 years, in the year AD 30, Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Luke 19:28-44). The rest is His Story. We are still expecting the events that will take place in final 7 years to complete the 490 prophetic time.

Within the first seven heptads (49 yrs.) the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt with streets opened. But the work was done in troubled times (Neh.4:1-9).

The work of God still thrives even in the times of trouble, times of persecution, yes and, times of famine and war. God will always carry on with His work. The work of evangelisation will continue, the work of discipleship will continue, the work of helping the week and the oppressed will continue regardless of prevailing situations in the world (Acts 5:16-20).

Alexander the Great’s Empire (Dan.8:5-14)

We will briefly mention the conquest of Alexander the Great. His Kingdom was the rough he goat of (Daniel 8:5-14). He was son of Philip, king of Macedonia. He was tutored till age 16 by Aristotle the philosopher. He was crowned King when his father Philip was assassinated in 336 BC. He defeated the Medo-Persian Empire. At his death, Alexander was said to have carved out an Empire of about 5.5 million square miles. But he did not last long (Dan.8:8). He died at the age of 33 and the Empire was split into four between his four generals (Dan.11:3-4).

The confederate generals (who succeeded Alexander the Great), who had previously borne the titles of governors or satraps, now partitioned the empire, Cassander becoming king of Greece; Lysimachus of Thrace, or Armenia; Seleucus (Kings of the North were the Seleucid kings), of Syria and the adjacent regions; and Ptolemy (King of the South were the Ptolemaic kings) of Egypt, Palestine, Libya and Arabia. It was the four-fold division of the Grecian empire pictured in the four horns of the rough goat seen in the vision by Daniel, and so plainly predicted in the “writing of truth.” In fact, the eleventh chapter of Daniel gives a summary of the conflicts of the Seleucidæ (as the successors of Seleucus were called) and the Ptolemais (the Egyptian rulers) for a century and a half after the battle of Ipsus.^[1]

Antiochus Epiphanes Reign Of Terror (175-164 BC) (Dan.11:3-4)

There were many battles for supremacy between the Ptolemais of Egypt and the Selucidae of Syria. The Syrians at one point annexed Palestine. It was at this time that the area now called Palestine was sectionalized into Judea, Samaria, Galilee, Peraea and Trachonitis (Luke 3:1).  When Antiochus Epiphanes acceded to the throne in 170 BC, he wreaked havoc on the Jews. (i) He pulled down the walls of Jerusalem; (ii) he desecrated the Temple; (iii) massacred thousands of Jews; (iv) Women and children were sold into slavery (same as ISIS and Boko Haram are doing today); (v) He forcefully entered the Holy of Holies and took away all the costly furniture of it; (vi) He banned the Jewish religion; (vii) He prohibited circumcision; (viii) He imposed paganism on the Jews; (ix) He appointed a commissioner to pollute the Temple and dedicate it to Jupiter. (x) In 168 BC he caused a Pig to be offered on the altar of sacrifice. (xi) He finally erected a statue in honour of Jupiter at the altar (Dan.11:31; 12:11).

Because of the severe persecution many of the Jews apostatized. It was a time of darkness for the Jews. But God always leaves Himself a godly remnant. Matthias Maccabee, an old priest defied the orders of Antiochus’s commissioner, sent to every quarter in Israel to obliterate the Jewish religion and replace it with idolatrous paganism. He slew the commissioner and the apostate Jews that came with them. Then they withdrew to the hills. That was the beginning of the Maccabean revolt. By 165 BC, Judah Maccabee captured Jerusalem, cleansed the Temple and dedicated it on 25^th December (Dan.11:32; John 10:22).

The Maccabees restored the Jewish Kingdom for a little while (from 165 BC – 63 BC) albeit with so much pain (Dan.11:32-35). By 63 BC the Romans invaded Palestine and brought the fledgling Jewish State under their rule. The Stage has now been set for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Birth Of Messiah The Prince (Dan.9:24-27; Isa.9:6; 53:1-12)

Verse 24 of Daniel 9 details the reasons why these seventy sevens were determined upon the Jewish people:

(1) To Finish transgression; (2) To Make an end of sins; (3) To Make reconciliation for iniquity; (4) To Bring in everlasting righteousness; (5) To Seal the vision and prophecy; (6) To Anoint the most Holy.

The six things listed in this prophecy were the same work which Jesus Christ the Messiah came to do. He is the Lamb of God who atoned for the sin of the world (John 1:29; Rom.3:25). Nine times in the book of revelation Jesus was called the Lamb. 

Jesus Christ inaugurated the Kingdom of Heaven (Mat.4:17; Mark 1:15).

What are the qualities of this Kingdom?
(i) The Kingdom of Heaven is so precious that it is better to lose your sight or your limbs in order to enter into it (Mat.18:8-9). (ii) The Kingdom of Heaven is so important to enter that you will need to be changed and have a heart as a little child to be able to enter (Mat.18:1-4).

(iii) The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure in the field (Mat.13:44-45). (iv) The Kingdom of Heaven is so important that you need to sell all that you have to obtain it (Mat.19:16-21). There is no half and half commitment to the Kingdom of Heaven. (v) The Kingdom of Heaven is to be sought first before any other thing (Mat.6:33).

Christ’s work of salvation lasted for three and half years (John 3:11-18). By AD 30 Jesus Christ was crucified, rose again after three days and ascended into heaven, leaving us with the Commission.

And when the Master considers our job done, He will come back to gather his Church to Himself and set up the Millennial Kingdom

Then the Stone which was cut out without hands shall truly fill the whole earth (Dan.2:34-35; 7:13-14, 27; Rev.11:15). How will this happen? Jesus appointed twelve apostles and commissioned them to carry the Message to the world (Mat.24:14; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 1:8).

The Church is to continue to preach the Kingdom of Heaven till Jesus comes back (Mat.28:18-20). The early apostles and believers took the work very seriously (Acts 8:4; 11:19). When believers scatter into many cities, they carry the message of the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven with them. Those early believers preached both by their lives as well as by their precepts.

Many of the apostles and believers were not known as highly educated people, but they preached the word faithfully, powerfully and with signs following. And people took note of them (Acts 4:13).

We are fortunate to be part of the Kingdom of Heaven. We today must follow the footsteps of our Saviour and of those of the early believers. The whole world must receive the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven. There are still some beasts (Kingdoms) waiting to come out of the sea (of humanity). The antichrist kingdom is still preparing with his false prophet. They shall soon bust into the open! Many people will yet be deceived (2Thes.2:1-12).

Then our Lord shall come! Are you ready for the return of the King of Kings (Mat.24:42-51; Luke 12:31-40)?

The coming of Jesus is imminent, is about to happen. We say this so often when we preach that it has become trite, hackneyed and common place. While people are thinking about the coming of Christ this way, it will come upon them suddenly!

Soon, and, very soon the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. And He shall reign forever and ever. Amen.

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^[1] Ironside, H. A. (1914). The four hundred silent years (from Malachi to Matthew) (pp. 19–20). New York: Loizeaux Brothers.